


A life's work

by stranded_romantic



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:14:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stranded_romantic/pseuds/stranded_romantic
Summary: This story is for those who want a happy ending for the girls. <3Also please, if you hate Abby go read something else.A couple months have passed since Abby arrived in Catalina Island and once more her world gets shaken by unexpected news...Ellie seems to have a new chance to leave the past behind...A trip to Wyoming. A chance on redemption... Love?
Relationships: Abby/OC (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

Abby is watching the sea from their home, a small house on the hills of Catalina Island. She felt healthy again, though far from her peak physicality. Lev had just started attending school with the other kids and was very much not keen on it, but today Abby really hoped he wouldn't skip class. She needed time to process the news she had just got.

Cassandra Flores, the Firefly's new leader, had been nothing but welcoming and understanding. Actually, everyone in the island had. It felt like a sheltered paradise on Earth, which at times was unsettling, like she was living in some sort of delirium.

Today, that protective bubble had cracked. Abby had told her story to these people, or at least the gist of it and a few had recognized her from the days back in Salt Lake. As it seemed, Cassandra had considered Jerry Anderson's daughter deserving of privileged intel. Actually, Cassandra was clearly elated to share it with her.

"Abby, now that we have confirmation I want you to be up to the date with the new developments," the old woman took a deep breath, "We're close to developing a vaccine."

Abby replayed the scene now, the mix of hope, relief and joy in the woman's face. The look of someone who had known the old world and had spent her life fighting to regain some semblance of it.

"What?" that was all Abby could concoct and Cassandra carefully pressed on.

"I understand after all these years..."

"Did you find another immune subject?"

"No, no. Uh... I have no medical knowledge, but from what our medical team analyzed, this young doctor really found another way to it. But of course, everyone agrees that having an immune person around would speed things up," Cassandra sighed, but kept going. "Her whole family has been working on this research since the outbreak. Projects were shut down and connections lost, but they never gave up. Kept working on it under wraps, migrated... Now she's close to it. And hearing of the Firefly's resurgence, decided to contact us."

Abby's head was reeling. "Wait, isn't she here? Where's is she?"

"Wyoming. She lives in an old med school building..."

At that point Abby stopped listening, "Wyoming?!"

"Yes..." Cassandra seemed amused with the repeated shocked tone, but didn't comment. "As I was saying, she has a small staff. The communities around think she's just a good doctor who attends whoever appears on her door. So she gained some neutrality there."

"She needs protection."

"I agre-"

"I'll go."

Here Cassandra was taken aback, "Abby, you arrived a month ago."

"Please! This was my father's life mission. He died for this! If I can do anything to help. I need to help!"

Cassandra sighs and thinks for a bit. "I won't send anyone tomorrow or anytime soon. This needs to be carefully planned. Can't draw attention," then she weighs her words some more and completes. "I'll think about it, Abby, and we'll talk then. We're good?"

"Yes, ma'am." 

After Cassandra left, Abby had paced the whole house and outdoors, stopping occasionally to look at the sea, as if she'd see the answers arriving on the shore. 

"This school thing is really boring," Lev's arrival brought her back. He dropped his things inside the house and came out to her side.

"Where is your discipline now?"

He didn't seem to have an answer to that and they sat in silence for a while.

"Are you ok?" Lev asked her this from time to time. 

"I'm good." Abby had never had that much time to think. So now it was hard not to get lost at memories or thoughts about the future. Lev couldn't know what she really was thinking about and Cassandra said they wouldn't move soon, so she had time to figure things out. She definitely couldn't mess this up.

***

Ellie had drifted to a cabin in the woods surrounding Jackson. Her plan was to depart and see where life would take her, but so far she hadn't moved. Actually, she was progressively moving closer and closer to Jackson everytime she was out to hunt or wander around. A couple days ago she had come into sight range from JJ's grandparents house, like a creep. 

A part of Ellie's life had definitely ended. And for a brief moment she had naively believed she had achieved closure. The true was that with each passing day she missed her old life more. Sometimes she tried to imagine what Joel could've wished for her now. All Ellie could come up with was going back to Jackson, to her family. The family she threw away.

Then an afternoon Ellie heard a horse approaching the cabin. She carefully came near the window with her rifle prepared and saw Dina dismount with fire in her moves. Even seeing everything Ellie still jumped when the door opened with a bang.

"You!!!" Ellie watched as all possible feelings in Dina warred to become words. "You come back and hide in the woods?! What kind of bullshit is this???"

"You left the farm..."

"What did you want me to do?! You left! I was alone with a baby to take care of everything by myself! Alone with..." Dina was trying not to cry. "Alone with all these memories of the life I thought we..." Dina turned back trying to control herself.

"I'm a coward!" Ellie let out with frustration. "You know I am! From the beginning. I never had the guts to tell you what I felt and you started dating Jesse. You kissed me and I still tried to... When I came back I couldn't face you again, but I also couldn't go away for good!"

"I hope it was worth it," Ellie had never heard Dina's voice so cold. 

...

"I gave up." 

Here Dina turned back to her. "You gave up?"

"You were right the whole time," and that's when Ellie broke. "What-what do I do?"

Ellie didn't even see it coming, she simply came down to the floor slowly bawling her eyes out. When she finally calmed down Dina was still there, sitting on the floor in front of her. They had visibly deflated after pouring out most of their anger and sorrow.

"You should go back to Jackson. People already know you're back. How do you think I got here?"

"...Would you really be ok with seeing me all the time?"

"I don't want you dead, Ellie. I don't want to see you like this..." She looks away for a moment and then she finds Ellies' eyes. "I still love you. I always have, do you think it'd simply stop like that? But you don't get it, do you? Maybe that's always been the problem."

Then Ellie asks, because she's not beyond groveling anymore, "Would you take me back then?"

"No, Ellie, not like this, no. I can't keep this game, not knowing when you'll simply give up on us again. I have to think of JJ too."

"...I'll stay here for now. I still have nightmares... I still don't know what to do with all this."

Dina slowly stands up and Ellie follows her out.

"If Tommy asks you anything, please don't mention what I said... about giving up. I don't want to argue with him anymore. It's over, that part is over."

Dina nods and already on her horse says, "You should come see JJ sometime."

Ellie nods and watches her ride away. Weirdly some piece inside her seems to get back into place. 


	2. Chapter 2

When Abby started recovering she wasn't sure she wanted to regain her muscles. Those years of training had had a goal, but the farther she was from it all, less sense it made, more she understood Owen's reactions to her obsession. To look in the mirror now and don't quite see herself anymore, together with all self-doubt, left her in a weird limbo, without sense of self. Who was she afterall? 

But the day after Cassandra's visit Abby woke up determined. The island hadn't a gym like Seattle, but she fixed up what she could and upped her diet. Lev had fun helping her, but pretended to be annoyed when Abby would jokingly capture him for bench press.

That initiative, of course, wouldn't go unnoticed, but Cassandra chose to not intervene. Abby told herself this time it was different, she wasn't just determined to accomplish a goal, she wasn't after vengeance. She wanted to go back to her roots, to what her father had taught her, to what mattered. It was too late to change course of some things, she was a fighter, not a doctor, but she could be a protector instead of a predator.

Times was passing and as promised Cassandra didn't leave her out. Abby was part of the meticulous route planning for the mission, it wasn't meant to be a fast journey, it was essential to be safe. Every month they communicated by radio with the doctor, Madison Whitebull, Abby hanging on her every word like a lifeline. The doctor was cheerful and levelheaded, despite understanding the gravity of the moment, she didn't sound tense or scared.

Abby had promised to respect Cassandra's wishes, but she was growing impatient. Planning was good and all, but the more she taught about such an important person living completely unprotected, how her father had ended even living under the Fireflies and having a bodyguard... Even if his demise had actually had a personal motivation, it was hard to calm down. 

Next time the doctor made contact, Cassandra signaled Abby to approach and presented her as the capable soldier that would soon become Madison's bodyguard.

"Have a safe journey Abby. Over and out," was the last thing the doctor said that day with a smile in her voice.

Over the weeks it had been impossible to keep hiding what was happening from Lev and they had argued about what to do next a few times. Be by leaving him behind or putting him in risk all over again, Abby felt guilty either way. But she didn't want to jeopardize the only relationship she had left, so they decided to stick together.

They left in a small group. Some of them only meant to help through California, once the cities became more sparse they would make their way in a group of four. Catalina Island, that once felt like the only hope they had for something better, now diminished in the distance and Abby dared to hope for more. For much more.

***

Ellie was in Jackson the next day. She readied to shake off the looks and whispers, but Maria asked for her before anything else.

"I'm glad you made it back in one piece," Maria said with her typical calm tone as soon as Ellie came into the room.

Ellie thought to say sorry or that Maria didn't need to worry, that she wouldn't come back. But in the end Maria was the only parental figure Ellie could come to now or at least she hoped... She had to try.

"I didn't do it."

Maria was surprised, but recovered fast and sat behind her table, gesturing for Ellie to do the same.

"I tracked her and the boy. They had been captured, then I got in and freed them... She didn't want to fight," here Ellie had a half-hearted laugh. "She showed me to the boats! She'd have take me along..." It was harsh to bring the memories forward by herself when the only thing she did all day was try to suppress them. "But I threatened the boy, he was unconscious and she caved in. I could've done it... She was literally half the woman I had met before. But then I remembered Joel..." her voice faltered and she could feel the tears coming again. "I let them go. I let them go and now I have nothing left." She covered her eyes as if this could stop the tears.

"No, Ellie. You kept the most important. Your soul," Maria said, taking her hand. 

"I don't know about that. Now I have to live with all I've done. Everything and everyone I destroyed. Sometimes I can't believe the things I've done. I keep having flashes and nightmares." 

"You're replacing your anger for guilt. But there's no use for that, you can only look ahead. And you know what's there? Your family."

"How can I be of help to them like this?"

"Time is the biggest healer, Ellie. You healed Joel's heart, they can help you heal yours too. You'll find purpose again if you stop running away."

"She doesn't trust me anymore."

"Well, that's your first task then."

Silence filled the room for a moment, while Ellie tried to process everything. "Thank you, Maria." 

Maria smiled, but it soon faded. "Do you plan to talk to Tommy?"

"If we cross paths I'll only say it's over. I hope this gives him closure," but seeing Maria's sadness she felt need to say more. "I'm really sorry, Maria, if it wasn't for me he..."

"No. No. He made his choices and keeps making them."

Ellie only nodded and got up. "I'll head to Dina's now. She said I could visit JJ."

Here Maria smiled again. "Go. And Ellie, anytime you need to talk..."

Ellie just nodded and was out the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

The breeze coming through the window was so pleasant that Ellie opened her eyes sighing. 

"Sorry, didn't want to wake you up," Dina spoke softly standing in front of the wardrobe.

"It's fine." Ellie sat up in bed.

"How was the sleep?"

"Good. Some days I'm just so tired I pass out." Ellie watched Dina give her that look. The look that meant "please, don't freak out and leave me again". It hadn't took long for them to get back together. After such an abrupt parting, spending time under the same roof and interacting with JJ again was too much of a pull for both of them. Ellie still struggled, but she had had enough of "you know the value after you lose it" for a lifetime.

She frequently felt like saying "I'm not going anywhere", but she also was afraid of making promises again. "Will you ever forgive me?" And Ellie had a deja vu of an awkward conversation in a certain porch.

Dina gestured to her surroundings, like showing the house. "I'm working on that, ain't I?" She gave up on whatever she was picking up and came to sit in front of Ellie. "We don't have to make things heavier than they already are. We're together again and I love you, that's all that should matter." 

Ellie nodded. Dina gave her a peck and got up. "You know, we should really pick more of your things from the farm. You barely have anything wearable left."

Dina hadn't wanted to go back to the farm, she said for now they should stay in Jackson, until "things settled". Ellie understood, like Maria said, winning back Dina's trust had to be her first task.

"We can go today, I have the day off. And I need to get rid of the mold I'm accumulating in Maria's office." 

"I'm so telling her you said that. But I guess it's good. Day's looking hot enough."

"Let's have a picnic! JJ would love it." As on cue he woke up in his crib. "Well, he's on board."

"It's a date."

***

Abby was trying to keep her focus on the road and at the same time grapple with the absurdity of this situation. Just when they were a couple days away from their goal, the route had being disrupted by a horde of infected. Now they had been circumventing the area by getting dangerously near Jackson.

She hadn't told the couple of doctors traveling with them exactly what this meant, but she warned Jarod and Alanna that they could find hostility around these parts. They wouldn't be welcomed into town, so they'd have to find a roof somewhere nearby and pray to not find familiar faces. 

Jarod was the first to point out the farmhouse coming into view. Abby had no choice but to steer the horse that way...

***

Ellie and Dina were encouraging JJ to walk between them on the tablecloth they had spread in the backyard. It had been one of the most peaceful afternoons Ellie experienced in a long time. She was keeping herself from thinking about the end of this day and going to sleep.

That's when they heard horses approaching.

"Maybe you should take JJ inside." Ellie immediately tensed up.

"They're probably just passing." Dina got up and rounded the house to see a small group approaching. Ellie grabbed JJ and came to her side. Before their image could become recognizable, a man in the group shouted their way.

"We mean no harm! We had to detour from a horde south from here."

"You'll be welcomed!" but just as Dina answered, Ellie recognized them. It was like a gut punch, sucking all the air from her lungs, she fell to her knees, trying to keep JJ secure. "Ellie!"

Dina kneeled beside her and grabbed the boy that was already crying. Soon more noise was nearing. She was desperate trying to find control to fight, she had no weapons on her, they were outside the house, but her body wouldn't revert from shutting down.

"We have medical training! What happened?" The man dismounted and came running to them.

"I don't..." That's when Dina saw them. Abby and Lev looked equally shocked and Ellie was resisting the man. "Leave her alone!"

"We're just trying to help! She looks like she's having a panic attack," Alanna defended him.

"Thanks to your friends! Haven't you caused harm enough?!" 

For a moment Abby felt angry at the confrontation, but that was the woman she almost killed when she was pregnant and now there was a baby crying in her arms. And there in the ground was her old enemy, completely vulnerable, just like when she met Abby back at the beach... Jarod and Alanna were looking back at her confused.

"We don't want to fight anymore," it had to be Lev to do the right thing. "We didn't even know you're here. We're just traveling east."

"Good, then leave!" 

That was it, she had done everything to avoid this. She really didn't want to look back, but now they were already here.

"Wait. We need to talk."

"Are you kidding me?" Dina was trying to help Ellie get back to her feet.

"Let's just go," Alanna said trying to turn Abby away.

"We're close to a vaccine." That's when everyone finally shut up and Ellie looked her in the eye. "We need to talk."

***

There was tea on the table and JJ was asleep in Dina's arms. The night was falling outside. Thankfully they had come ready to spend the night. Jarod and Alanna clearly weren't happy with all the pieces of information they hadn't, but kept silent on the side. The weapons had been left on the entrance.

"That's why I came here. Though I had no plans to come here, exactly," Abby finished her curt explanation and silence ensued once more. 

Dina wasn't looking at Ellie, clearly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ellie looked at the new strangers, weighing in the risks of what she could say.

"So what? Are you expecting me to come with you?" hearing Ellie's tone, Abby felt the anger rising again. How could this little shit not understand the scope of things? Abby was giving her a new chance to help, even if they didn't need her anymore.

"How can you be this selfish?!" Abby felt Lev's hand on her shoulder.

"I have a family to care for now."

"I told you, this doctor, Madison, she found another way. You won't be harmed! They can even come along if you want, isn't that far!"

"Wait, what?" Jarod intervened here, but Abby just lifted her hand for him to wait without even looking.

"Imagine what this could mean for your kid. He could grow up in a better world. I know it's hard for us to imagine what that's like, but... don't you want it? How can you not?!"

Ellie was feeling her heart rate increasing again. It had been so hard to minimally shut the past out in the last months, and now she was screaming in her face inside her house. Her hair and muscles had grown back, like nothing had happened. For years Ellie had resented the fact Joel robbed this opportunity from her, but now she couldn't even start to process the possibility of having that chance back, no strings attached. How many developments unfolded in vain.

"I think you should go," Dina's voice was so unexpected, it took a bit for Ellie to recognize who had talked and what she meant.

"You do?" Ellie asked weakly.

"I can't start to wrap my mind around how we got here, but she's right." She scoffed still full of resentment. "Besides, isn't that what you've always wanted? A new chance?"

Ellie lowered her head. Why was this happening now? Why were things always happening in the worst moments?

"I'd go with you, by the way. We would."

Ellie raised her head again to look at Dina and the sleeping JJ. She sighed.

"Hell..." She finally looked back at Abby and nodded.

"Ok, we're adding two more people and a baby and you just dropped our mission details to them. Are they Fireflies too?"

"No. But we'll be taking with us someone immune to help research."

"What?!" They looked now at Ellie like she had become gold.

"Let's just go to sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow," Dina said with finality.


	4. Chapter 4

A sudden depart would bring a ruckus in its wake, so Abby's party went ahead, vowing to wait for them down the route. Ellie had a talk with Maria, who confirmed that a family of doctors indeed lived somewhere east from Jackson. And despite Maria's trepidation she provided the necessary for their travel. Dina told Jesse's parents they'd move from Jackson for awhile but not too far, they'd come back for visits sometimes, they just needed a fresh start...

"I know this area... Joel took me here for a birthday… There's this museum nearby," Ellie told Dina after Abby announced they should be close to the old campus.

The travel together had been nothing but tense. Ellie couldn't help but be anxious after her break down at the sight of Abby. What if she needed to protect Dina and JJ and she simply didn't function? That insecurity added to some friction over mundane decisions, but both of them let it go after much plead from Dina and Lev.

The two took over the reins of the expedition without much ceremony, working cordially. Jarod and Alanna seemed simply frustrated to be thrown in that situation without warning. In sum, everyone was relieved the whole thing would end soon and hopefully everyone would be able to avoid whoever they wanted.

There was a settlement near the old campus, but the campus per se was mostly abandoned. To find the med school building was easy though. It had a clearly well kept wing compared to its surroundings. On what should be the main door was a girl around Lev's age, sitting in a table and not at all bothered by their arrival.

"Are you sick or hurt?" the girl asked when they were still climbing the stairs.

"Neither," Abby smiled, skimming the steps in a clearly joyous mood. "We're here to see Dr. Madison Whitebull." 

The girl looked suspiciously at them, but slowly the information clicked.

"You're the Fireflies," she whispered in awe. The girl leaped, running inside. "Sis! They're here! They're finally here!"

"Finally? We were really fast," Lev said indignantly.

"Manner of speaking." Abby bumped his arm. "She's happy." He didn't seem convinced.

A few curious faces appeared in the windows above and hurried steps were heard coming from inside the building. A native american woman around Abby and Ellie's age emerged from a darkened corridor. Besides the pristine lab coat, she wore a rare item these days, glasses. 

"You arrived in one piece." She had a relieved smile and searched the faces, not hiding a curious glance to the baby in the group. "Who's Abby?"

"That'd be me," Abby said half-laughing, and to her horror, feeling like tears could show up any second. This was real, that woman in front of her was real.

"Now, that voice I recognize," the young doctor smiled even more and extended her hand. "I'm Madison."

Abby felt like pulling her for a hug, but contained her overexcitement. "And this is Mika, my little sister." She brought the now shy girl forward.

"Continue the pleasantries inside. They need a warm meal," a middle-aged asian woman shout from one of the windows and most of them laughed.

"Of course, sorry! Come in." Madison motioned for them to enter the building.

"We have a lot to talk," Abby added to Madison as they slowly entered, giving a last look to Ellie.

"We sure have. We need find you some rooms too, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of space. We all live here by the way..." and she kept going.

"At least they seem like decent people," Dina said to Ellie still set in place.

"Seems like it."

"Stop focusing on her. Remember why we came here," Dina added squeezing Ellie's hand, who nodded. 

"The doctor's so young..."

"Lots of great things were discovered by young people. Come on, I need to put JJ down for five minutes."

***

Madison and Mika lived in the old building with three more people: Doctor Daisy Liu, the brash woman chastising them from her window, had been living on the facility way before the Whitebulls arrived; Dolores Salles and Carl Bartlet, almost on their forties, were trained as lab technicians by FEDRA, but got out and the winds of life brought them to Wisconsin. They had all worked for long years with the Whitebull family.

After Madison and her companions showed them what to expect of the building and surroundings, they sat down to eat. The hosts were eager to hear about the travel all the way from California and chat was nice enough, until Mika dropped what everyone really wanted to know, "Wait. So who are they?". An awkward pause was made, but before Abby could take the word, Ellie went ahead, "I was bitten once."

"What did you just say?" Madison slowly put her fork down.

"I came with them because I'm immune. And I hope to be of help. These are Dina and JJ, my family. We were just reunited. I couldn't leave them behind." For a secret well kept for so long, Ellie felt like she had to blurt it out every five minutes now.

"So it's true. Someone immune really exists," Madison looked at the quiet woman who wasn’t looking back at her and finally broke into a smile, saying gently. "It'll be really important, Ellie. Thank you for coming to help."

Ellie nodded, still feeling utterly uncomfortable.

"Well, a toast to the great things we'll accomplish," Jarod proposed already a bit buzzed and was followed by everyone.


End file.
